finally

Soleil is off the needles! I think I'm in shock! I cast on for this way back in June last year, after the first one I knit turned out way too big for me (in fact it's still hanging in my closet waiting to be frogged!). I knit the smallest size this time and I think it's gonna be much better. I tried it on before blocking and everything looks good.

I'm just a little nervous about doing the crochet around the arms and neck? I'll try to do that tomorrow and all being well will try to get some 'flattering' shots of me wearing it next week!

On a non-knitting topic, I had to try THIS recipe that I saw last week. Here's how mine turned out. . .

it's sitting on top of vanilla yogurt, probably the only way I'll eat it - because I like it best this way, (although I am tempted to try some in a bowl with milk on it). The recipe was super easy and tastes really nice. I love all the healthy stuff in it like oats, wheat germ, whole wheat flour. And what I really like about it is that it's not overly sweet. Just the perfect crunch to it and a rather yummy snack!

and before I go I had to mention my new blog background! Thought I'd try a change from the usual white!

sneek peak

I wish I hadn't mentioned that my next project is another gift. Perhaps if I hadn't I could have brazenly shown the progress I made after casting on last night. After all, surely the recipient (should she even take a look over here at this blog) would forget all about said 'FO' by the time Christmas came around? Or perhaps she would remember seeing the FO but say "oh I never realized it was for me"?

But I did mention it was a Christmas gift so I don't want to spoil the surprise. For now I will give you just a sneek peak and tell you that you can see other pics over at my Ravelry.

An avid knitter could probably guess what this is! If you're a member of Ravelry but I'm not listed in your 'friends', you can search for me under 'knittingden.

finishing touches

The owl mittens are finished. I have no models to try them out for me and as you know it's difficult taking pictures of mittens on your own hands. The ones I tried came out blurred, so here are the mittens along with the cowl.

I think the recipient will be well pleased with these :-) The cabled mittens are also finished. I liked how these turned out and let me tell you these feel super warm when I try them on. I'm not sure yet who these will be gifted to (actually I have someone in mind but I shouldn't say here, in case they're peeking)!

Just when I was wondering what to knit next these two books turned up from Amazon....

I have to say I was a little disappointed in the Debbie Bliss book. I mean the patterns are nice enough but most of them are cabled patterns, and I'm talking 'serious' cable patterns! I have another book of hers for kids that already have a lot of cabled sweaters so I was hoping to see a little more variety in the patterns. But the 12 months of knitting? Oh boy, that one is a keeper. There are some lovely patterns in this book, which leads me to my next knit. . . . which ermmmm, I can't actually tell you what it is because again the recipient might just be checking in here! You will see it on my Ravelry page soon when I cast on and when I finish the project. For now I will show you this -

In keeping with using the called for yarn I bought this from a fellow Raveler, it's Classic Elite Montera (50% Llama/Wool). Can't wait to cast on with it, which knowing me will probably be tonight ;-)

Oh and that finally brings me to the title of this post - finishing touches! Now that I have a few gifts off the needles, I'd like to add a little finishing touch by sewing in a 'hand knit' label of some sort. I was thinking of searching Etsy for some fabric labels. If any of you have ever bought any and can recommend a seller or a website that I can go to, please do. I think it will add the perfect finishing touch to my gifts made with love.

the kindness of strangers

Back in December just after I finished the blue cabled mittens for my friend, I decided to cast on for another pair because I had enjoyed the pattern so much. That and the fact I had a lovely skein of Berroco Foliage that I'd bought on sale at my LYS, which I thought would work well with this pattern. Half way through that first mitt I realized one skein was not going to be enough to make a pair! I finished the mitten just before Christmas but didn't bother posting about it because, well one mitten is only half a pair which isn't truly an FO.

I couldn't just let it sit there forever on it's own - what use would it be? So I decided to search Ravelry and see if there was another skein out there with the same dye lot of course. I was in luck, or was I? Someone had two skeins in their stash but they didn't have stated that they would trade or sell. I decided I'd ask anyway. I'd be more than happy to buy both skeins if they didn't want to be stuck with one themselves. Imagine my surprise when the lovely lady replied to me saying she'd be more than happy to pop a skein in the mail to me - FREE! She wanted nothing for it! I insisted I would pay for it or send her something in exchange (not that I have much in my stash) but she insisted that she was more than happy just to do this and wanted nothing in return.

So, as you can see from the photo above, I've now received the yarn and started on mitten #2. Pat, if you're reading this, I just want to say thank you again for your kindness and generosity. (I would link to a website if I could but Pat doesn't have one, at least one doesn't show up on Ravelry).

Other updates.... I'm nearly finished Hedwig Mittens. I'll take FO pics when I get the second thumb finished off, hopefully later this week. And the baby jacket and hat is almost complete. All I have to do is another flower for the jacket. This turned out very sweet, don't you think?

I'll give specs once I get the flower knit and the set is finished.

ta da!

Another Fo, and a quick one at that. Here's Hedwig, isn't he cute? Well I should say "aren't they cute" as there are 7 owls total on this cowl.

I love how this turned out, and I think the recipient is gonna love it too. Shame I have to wait 12 months before I can give it to her! I've never knit with Dream in Color Classy before, but I'm sure I will again. It is quite a soft merino yarn and not 'itchy' at all.

Of course I had to take a few modeled shots for you :-) I really liked wearing this and wouldn't mind one for myself.... but alas, too many other gifts need to be knit, not least the matching owl mitts, which you know I've already cast on for ;-) Keep your fingers crossed for me that I have enough yarn!

it came in the mail

Don't you just love when you get yarn in the mail? I ordered this the other day when I saw a pattern on Ravelry that I wanted to knit (another Christmas gift!).

The yarn is 'Dream In Color - classy, the color is called Lipstick Lava. It's the actual yarn the pattern calls for - yay :-) It's hard to get a true color of it when taking photos. It probably looks a little darker than in the photo but it does have a hint of purple running through it. The recipient likes shades of red which is why I picked this color. I've never knit with this yarn before and I'm dying to cast on with it!


The pattern is Hedwig Owl Cowl, available as a Ravelry download for $3.50 (you can click on the photo above to go directly to the website of the designer ). My nephew's wife is a huge Harry Potter fan so I thought this would be a fun gift for her. The pattern calls for only half a skein, so I'm wondering if I will have enough yarn left over to make THESE mittens? They would make rather a cute set if I could.

I'm nearly finished the Sirdar baby cardigan and hat (the hat is complete, just needs the flower) so I might allow myself to cast on for the cowl tonight!

first FO of 2009

Happy New Year!

Can you believe Christmas and New Year is already behind us! It went so quickly but we've had a wonderful time. New Years Eve was spent next door at our neighbors house. It was just us two families (plus my father-in-law who came in to visit for a few days from Amarillo, TX).

And here is my very first FO of the new year. . . albeit a small one, but an FO is and FO - wouldn't you agree? I'm getting a start on my 09 Christmas gifts (don't laugh). I want to try and send my sisters and my nieces something hand knit this year, so I started with these - cute fur trimmed socks from 'Knitted Sock Sensations'.

One of my goals this year is to try and knit with the specified yarn in a pattern as much as I can. This may be easier said than done. My LYS usually doesn't have what I'm looking for (I went along there the other day and once again came away empty handed - but that's a whole other post!) and I couldn't find the yarn I needed for these on ebay or ravelry or anywhere else on line. So in the end I cast on with some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino that I had in stash (waiting to be knit in to more Rainy Day socks). They turned out rather well, but I still think I need to go down a needle size when knitting socks on dpn's. They fit nice, but I think they should be just a wee bit 'snugger'!

Still, they are one quick gift already off the needles and I'm very happy with them.


Before I cast on for the next gift (and also continue knitting Soleil and Woodland) I have two little baby gifts to knit for my soon to be born nieces (actually the daughter's of my nephews to be exact). Babes are due April and May this year so I figured I should start now and get ahead of the game.

I'm going to cast on for this. . . .

again, I don't have the exact yarn (from what I've heard Sirdar discontinued their Snowflake yarn) but I have something very similar which I think will work. So, happy knitting in 09 ya'll - I'm off to pick up them thar needles, for a lazy Saturday afternoon of knitting :-)